At Last
by Sara Nublas
Summary: Emily finds herself in an awkward situation after she tries to help a friend. Warning: fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**At Last**

_This story was initially inspired by the song 'At Last', then it__ started growing bigger and bigger and nagging me until I gave up and wrote it.  
It's cheesy and fluffy and illogical... but I decided to give it a try nonetheless._

* * *

_Today:_

Emily bit her lip and dropped the report she'd been trying to fill in over the past three hours finally acknowledging that the day was over and she didn't get much work done, but at least the pile of disastrous and unfortunate initiatives she managed to take that day were about to be filed as past. Likely the following days would have been even worse. Not every human being would have been able to be as clumsy as her, but believe it or not Emily Prentiss was born to make possible the impossible; her ability to find awkward situations and make them even more painfully embarrassing was a unique gift, some of those talents that either you're born with either you can just dream about… You gave her a glock and a killer on the run or an unsub to profile and she wouldn't flinch and handle it with the perseverance and determination of a salmon swimming upstream: a warrior with a mission. But when the matter was personal relationships and men, she managed to solve the situation with the grace of a stampede of bison in a crystal shop, and this time she proved herself such an overachiever that she didn't have a clue on how to get out of that situation. Maybe changing identity and hiding in a fishermen village in Iceland would do…

She watched at the clock, almost 10 o'clock. She looked around the bullpen, everything was still and silent and everyone was gone, even Hotch, even the cleaners.

She switched off the desk lamp and sat still for a while in the darkness of the room, a bitter smile and a lone angry tear running down her cheek. She tried to remind herself for what damn reason she put herself in that position and turning her head in the direction of Derek's workplace she emitted a chocked sigh. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark she could spot the thick envelope wrapped in red ribbon that she had left on his desk few hours before. She went through all the possible scenarios she could think of for the moment he would have found it. Considering that it was Friday night he wouldn't have opened it until Monday morning, then all the team would have been around to witness his tirade. Awesome. But no worries by that time she would have already got to Iceland.

When that idea came up to her mind that afternoon she was seriously driven by the best intentions, but it all turned into a sneaky maneuver behind Morgan's back, hence the red ribbon around the envelope in the vane hope to sooth his reaction. To be honest it wasn't entirely her fault, she had tried to tell him about her plan, and she about to when someone else got in the way and she had to make a decision without consulting him.

She couldn't believe she had been so impulsive and let emotions take over in the first place. She blamed herself, his mischievous smile and that damn song…

* * *

_Four weeks before_

"So what do you think? Drinks?" Penelope welcomed the team in the bullpen after that crazy week of work.

Profiling unsubs was draining and sometimes and coming back from their trip into a psychopath's mind, they couldn't avoid feeling sick and filthy as if getting close to those perverted minds exposed them to the risk of impregnate their soul with the stain of evil, like it was a contagious disease.

"I don't know… I wanted to finish this essay on astrophysics I have been reading for a while now.." Reid answered distantly.

"Wrong answer my bird, you come along and have some booze" Penelope squinted without loosing her smile.

"Do you know that asking a question implies that the counterpart is free to give you an answer? In the specific yes or no?" Reid objected, but without much effort in it.

"For common humans maybe. But in my position of goddess a question is a mere gesture of patience and good will toward you, mortal creatures, aimed to offer you the chance to give me the right answer; which you failed. Lucky you I am mighty and enlightened, and instead of turning you into ashes with a snap of my fingers I will mercifully show you the road to redemption" she answered in an over-enthusiastic tone which sounded suspicious even to the others.

"Which is?" Reid inquired now amused and ready to give in to the blond head.

"Follow me and you'll see" she replied impishly.

The rest of the team complied with Penelope's orders when they realized she wouldn't have let them miss this one.

"Hei babygirl, wanna tell me what's going on here?" Morgan tried to get some insight on her cheerful mood, especially after such a harsh week.

"Hot stuff, your seductive manners won't work on me this time" she shook her head "my lips are sealed, you all will know when it's time"

Except for the fact that they all knew already what that night was about, all except Morgan.

Half an hour later they were sitting at the table Garcia had reserved in a nice bar and the conversation had picked up, when all of a sudden the lights went off and a giant cake followed by a happy birthday song made its way toward an astonished and successfully surprised Derek "Oh, you didn't!" he almost shouted laughing at the obviously exaggerated number of candles on the cake.

One of the young waitresses who served the cake winked at him commenting how splendidly he was bearing his venerable age, and squinted in a smile when he responded back with some charming joke.

"Ok, I have to admit I didn't see this coming" he addressed his colleagues before toasting to the occasion "thank you all, really".

The night went on smooth and easy, the company, the laughs and some sips of alcohol always helped to ease the heavy heart after cases like that, and knowing their friend wasn't celebrating alone the midnight hour of his birthday made them all cheerful and satisfied with the success of their surprise.

"So kid, all that scene about your astrophysics book and Penelope being a goddess was just an attempt to play me" Derek addressed Reid.

"A well performed attempt, since you were completely taken aback" Emily commented.

"Except for the fact that I actually am a goddess, my beautiful friend" Garcia commented maliciously taking a puff of chocolate cream off the cake with her finger.

"…and I am actually reading an interesting essay" Reid started just to be silenced by Rossi putting in his hand a glass of whiskey and proposing another toast to the company.

Emily rolled her eyes and smiled looking at Reid, she bowed her head toward JJ and Penelope "It's definitely high time for Reid to find a girlfriend" she commented sipping her Merlot.

"Well, not just for Reid…" JJ answered looking back suggestively at her friend, rightly followed by Penelope.

Emily arched her eyebrows not expecting that curve ball "Meaning what?" she inquired starting to suspect that Morgan wasn't the only one who had been set up for the night.

"Absolutely nothing" Penelope answered with an innocent face "except for the fact that such a beautiful, intelligent and impressive woman being single is basically an insult to mother nature and a tragic loss for that gorgeous desperate soul, out there in the cold, looking for his perfect match…"

"Oh then, if that gorgeous soul is the perfect match for such an outstanding woman I am sure he'll have plenty of ways to impress her and find where she's hiding" Prentiss played along.

"Here you are Princess" a sulky voice came at her shoulders making her startle, her eyes widening while Penelope was playfully reminding her the old proverb 'be careful what you wish for'.

Emily relaxed a bit when she realized it was Morgan, who joined them bringing gifts in the form of Will and Kevin.

Right in that moment the music register changed and Etta James' voice gathered many couples on the dance floor on the notes of _At last_. JJ and Penelope promptly left with their partners heading to the dance floor, but before disappearing the blond analyst didn't fail to remind something to Derek "You know that if you don't dance on the night of your birthday it'll bring you bad luck for the rest of the year, hot stuff. Don't you?"

"Well, if that's the case you'll be my damsel for this round Prentiss" he extended a hand toward her.

"I am pretty convinced that your waitress would be happy to replace me in this" she complained reluctantly following him toward the centre of the spot where everybody was dancing.

"It's my birthday Princess, you don't want to deny a birthday wish to an old friend. Do you?" he motioned her with one of those smiles.

_'At last, my love has come along my lonely days are over and life is like a song...'_

"So" he carried on once they picked the rhythm and started moving in each other's arms "what's up with you tonight? Aren't you enjoying the party?"

"Oh, I am" she answered and then explained once he rose his eyebrow in doubtful interrogation "I believe Penelope and JJ are on a mission to set me up for a date, and I don't like being partnered up with some dude someone else picked for me" she explained a bit of uncomfortably.

"I see" he commented, then after a silent pause he proposed "then choose him by yourself. Anybody you like around?" he asked, rolling her in order to have a panoramic of the men in the surroundings.

"Oh c'mon Derek, it's not like picking cereals at the supermarket" she objected.

"No you're right it's easier." He replied with a smirk "once you've opened a cereal box you have to finish it even if you are not enthusiastic about the taste, but in this case if you don't enjoy your first bite, you move on to the next bowl"

She looked at him for a moment ready to comment on his over romantic take on relationships, when a thought occurred to her and she simply commented with an equal smirk "Right, that's why you were so ready to take a bite on every single woman who winked at you tonight, right?"

She hit the right point, all night long a considerable number attractive women had seductively approached Morgan; different ages, different styles, different types, he just had to choose. To all of them he kindly answered with a bright smile, exchanged few flirtatious words but without any real intention to explore further the _conversation_.

_'At last the skies above are blue, my heart was wrapped up in clover the night I looked at you…'_

He laughed, being the uncomfortable one this time "Well, you know… I guess I'm getting old for that kind of games, I'm not sure I'm up for this kind of acquaintances anymore. And it's not easy to get to know someone, someone who can understand and put up with the kind of life we do" he turned more serious.

"So no clover for our hearts tonight" Emily replied smiling after a silence, quoting the lines of the song.

"Ah.. never say never, Princess. The night is still young" he reciprocated her smile.

_'You smile and then the spell is cast and here we are in heaven…'_

For a while they went on dancing looking in each other's eyes with knowing looks, like if the song actually worked a spell on them. Only few minutes after they realized the song was over and almost everybody had gone back to their tables. The reluctant feeling of letting go of each other coupled with the awareness of the awkward situation and of the eyes of at least two team members pointed at them.

"Are those two okay?" Will inquired nudging JJ. She stared at Emily and Derek looking at each other's with a dreaming smile on their faces and apparently oblivious to what was going on around them. Then she turned to Penelope, whose attention was drawn to the same focus. For a brief moment they silently questioned the situation exchanging inquiring looks, but immediately discarded the possibility with a laugh.

That night coming back home the feeling that something actually clicked lingered in both Emily and Derek, and as often happens at birthdays when the awareness that an other year has flown away kicks in, Derek started assessing his personal life, if there was any personal life to assess… As he told Emily it wasn't easy to fit a decent relationship into their rhythm of life, at present the only people he trusted and was ready to share his feeling with were his family and his team, which was a second family as a matter of fact. He wondered how things would have been that night, on the dance floor if Prentiss hadn't been a colleague, what would have stopped him from sinking into her eyes, her smile, her scent. Although he reckoned it was a dysfunctional idea, it went on nagging him until the much-needed sleep kicked in.

The day after in the office the birthday wishes were briefly renewed and the hilarity of the previous night was set aside as soon as they started going over the details of some potential cases. That sort of alchemy that both Emily and Derek had shared the night before was promptly hidden and stashed in a corner on a stand-by mode and replaced by the professional behavior they always kept while working cases. It's surprising how the most vivid feeling can become a blurry impression if not properly cared and nurtured, so that moment they both shared slowly sunk in some remote corner and seemed to be fast forgotten.

They both ended up convincing themselves that their bond was a dear friendship and nothing more was going on. That moment was just the result of alcohol, euphoria and of the right song, there was no reason to dwell on a fantasy that could potentially compromise their friendship and their professional relationship, and that electricity through her bodies when they were closed or occasionally touched each other, was just a suggestion, a shiver. Right, winter chill…

* * *

_So that's the first part, __there's a second part in stand-by and I'll publish it if you think it's worth to read..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for reading the previews chapter and for the feedback! here it is the second part_

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* * *

_

During the following three weeks Garcia and JJ didn't give up their mission to find a date for Emily who, all of a sudden and much against her will found her agenda incredibly busy.

The first was Kyle, who loved climbing, skydiving, caving and playing rugby, and in general all the outdoors situations, which 'would put him in contact with nature and let his inner beast out'. That night, contemplating the Cro-Magnon's legacy, Emily decided that she really saw enough beasts on a daily basis and really didn't need another one to fill the gaps.

Then there was Conrad the dental hygienist who spent half of their date at the restroom either flushing his teeth either washing his hands, because you never know, germs are everywhere. She refused to think which kind of prevention would he take in the unlucky event they got to second base.

The third was Albert and for a good part of the evening Emily actually thought this one was a decent man, a calm librarian, with a brilliant sense of humor and good taste in wine, until he decided to share with her the story of his abduction by the aliens who experimented on him, on a monthly basis since he was eighteen. First thing in the morning after that last date, she gathered JJ and Garcia and explained them that the only result this grotesque series of disastrous dates had produced so far was her intense desire to become a catholic nun in Malawi.

The two friends promptly stopped their search of her twin soul.

"So who's the lucky one tonight?" Rossi asked Prentiss sitting across from her on the jet on her way home from a case, few days later

"Pardon?" she replied confused.

"The lucky one who JJ and Garcia picked as your date for tonight "he explained.

She faintly smiled "No more dates, I had enough of it"

Rossi chuckled at her sarcastic tone "I agree, sometimes searching too hard is not the best option. In all my marriages love stroke me all of a sudden from the most unexpected direction. The important thing is not to let love slip away… That electricity that makes you feel light and tipsy and joyful."

Emily's eyes widened at his definition, recalling that night on the dance floor with Derek and all those little _moments_ afterward. For a minute she dwelt again on that forbidden fantasy that so many times she had dodged with fear, and looked toward Derek who was intent in staring out of the window with his headphones on his head. She immediately shook that thought out of her mind, Derek Morgan was not the kind of guy who would fall for Emily Prentiss, and she'd better avoid to have her heart broken for a man who didn't even know she existed, not under that point of view at least.

* * *

_Today (again) _

"Damn it!" Derek slammed a hand on his desk "we're not gonna make it". He left his chair pacing furiously toward the coffee machine.

Emily exchanged a look with Reid, Garcia and JJ who were all sitting in the bullpen, helpless and frustrated. The day was supposed to be spent filling paperwork, but had unexpectedly turned into a painful rush against time to help a friend, an unbelievably stubborn and proud friend.

They decided not to follow Derek and let him cool down; when he came back to his desk he looked down at the concerned and interrogative expressions of his colleagues, took a deep sigh and explained "they raised the offer to five hundred thousands" he said weighing the mug in his hands and staring at the screen of his computer.

Few days before he had come to know that a construction company had made an offer for the youth centre where Derek had spent his teenager years and that the plan was to demolish it. Even though Morgan's memories of that place were everything but merry, that centre was now run by decent people and represented for many kids the only healthy alternative to gangs, drug dealing or penitentiary. As soon as he received the news Derek had immediately tried to find a way to save the centre, with the help of the team they had spread the voice via internet and they were soon able to raise a considerable amount of money, they actually thought they made it until the company had raised the offer to a whole new level.

"Half million?" Prentiss gulped out "What the hell?"

"Well if they raise the offer so much it means they really want that area and they need it. Probably they have in mind a big project" Reid commented.

"Yes, a big parking lot." Morgan answered hopeless, "at this point we don't have enough time or enough money to make a competitive offer. They will destroy the youth centre and all those kids will be back in the streets"

"Sweet angel, are you sure there's nothing we can do to help?" Garcia almost cried seeing Morgan so broken down "I could hack their system, or block the money transfer or…"

"Baby girl" Morgan stopped her raising a hand in sign of halt "I really appreciate your help, you all have been incredibly supportive and helpful and I am sorry if I have been rough with you in the last couple of days but now it's over. There's nothing more we can do. So now, let's go back to work" he said discouraged in a tone that didn't admit reply.

Garcia gently posed a hand on his shoulder before going back to her office, Reid returned to the dossier he was reading and Morgan dove into some paperwork giving the shoulders to his team mates, a clear sign he didn't want to carry on any conversation.

Emily instead went on staring at the void, an idea surfacing slowly, but how to tackle the subject with Morgan?

After a while Reid left his desk headed to Rossi's office and she decided to make her move, she was about to address Derek when a female voice stopped her initiative "A little bird told me there's lost puppy who needs some comfort here".

She was tall and slender, in her thirties, she was beautiful and she knew it, she walked with a feline bearing, in her eyes the arrogant malice of a woman who's not used to take no as an answer.

"Amanda" Derek welcomed the woman with surprise, Emily wasn't sure if that was just surprise or uneasiness, and if his apparent lack of enthusiasm was due to the fact that he didn't like surprises or that he didn't want to mix private and professional on the same field.

Anyway the woman didn't seem to mind, probably she was so used to be the epicenter of every attention that she really didn't need to care about anyone else, she went on "I was getting bored waiting for you so I decided to come and pick you up myself. I was lost but then your secretary walked me through this maze" she distractedly pointed her forefinger to JJ 'the secretary', who was still behind her.

The liaison officer raised an eyebrow and sarcastically answered "my pleasure entirely, madam" then before leaving she exchanged with Emily a look that didn't need further explanations.

Emily went back to her work giving up the original plan of talking to Morgan, no way they could have that conversation right now that his mind –and not only that- was focused on _Amanda_.

Emily laughed at herself for having pondered the idea of being a romantic interest for Derek Morgan; while a wave of resentment flooded her veins she told herself that if this was the kind of woman he was into, then she was more than happy of not falling into the category of his potential targets. She knew that Morgan was a good man, caring, sensitive and able to scratch the surface and see beyond, but maybe the point with someone like Amanda was that there was nothing to scratch, it was all there under the sunlight, it was incredibly easy and safe, no conversations about alien abductions, animal release and germs control, no pressure to find 'the one'. Just pure entertainment.

Why all of a sudden she was bothering so much about Derek's love interests? She had no business in judging how he handled his personal life and whom he spent his time with. As reasonable as those considerations were she couldn't help being upset with Amanda for her arrogant demeanor, with Derek for the fact that in front of that woman he seemed to lose any capacity of discerning right and wrong, and with herself for being upset over something that was none of her business.

She left her desk and moved toward Garcia's office to cool down, there she found the technical analyst furiously chatting with JJ, she knew already about what.

"Hi dear, JJ told me" the technical analyst greeted her "What can I say.. I love Morgan, but the way men lose reason in front of a pair of sexy curves is a universal sad cliche. Men and boobs, the same old story" she sighed.

"Yep " Emily answered distractedly "and this is going to make it even harder to help him" she added in a lower tone of voice.

JJ left to go back to her work and Emily stayed a bit longer. "Garcia, I need your help with something, but I would appreciate your discretion about that" she blurted out once they were alone.

"Of course Emily, are you ok?"

"Yes, I am fine… I just need you to keep an eye on the bids for the youth centre in Chicago until few minutes before it closes"

"Wanna try to convince them not to buy?"

"No, I don't think I can do that unfortunately. I simply want to make a counter offer at the last second and buy it in their place" she looked straight at the monitor purposely avoiding her friend's gaze, whose hands momentarily stopped moving over the keyboard while her eyes went wide.

"Does Derek know about this initiative of yours?" the tech inquired as soon as she regained the speech.

"Not yet. Hence the confidentiality caveat" she replied suggestively and left the room not giving Penelope any opportunity to argue.

The tech analyst complied with Emily's request, even though puzzled at the situation. She loved Morgan and she would have done everything possible in order to help him, but this thing was huge and Emily'd better tell him soon about her intentions.. Given how proud he was she couldn't imagine how could he accept such a favor, especially if not warned in advance. Was maybe something going on between the two of them? Possible that she didn't notice? Or maybe this was just one of the many layers of Emily Prentiss, controlled and stable on the surface but still able to surprise you with instant fireworks, such as weekly salsa nights and sin to win weekends.

Emily walked back to the bullpen finally resolved to talk to Morgan about her decision and to reassure him on the destiny of the youth centre, regardless the presence of _wonder-slut_, but to her dismay she found his desk empty. She addressed an interrogative look to Reid who reported that the woman begged for a tour of the city and Morgan agreed. "I offered to finish his paper work, I thought maybe sometime in company of an old friend could relieve his frustration" he said with a half smile.

Emily chuckled shaking her head, a few definitions came to her mind to describe that situation but none of them implied Derek and Amamnda as old friends.

After a few calls to her bank and to a lawyer to set the transaction, she dove back into work trying to confine her inner turmoil in a deep corner and manage her mixed feelings; gradually the noise around her diminished, when she raised her head she realized she was alone in the bull pen. There she was in the silent darkness of the office, contemplating an escape to Iceland. The envelope with the red ribbon containing the documents relative to the youth centre was screaming _culprit_ at her from Derek's desk.

She rubbed her forehead trying to make up her mind, she didn't want to face him, but he had to sign the documents as soon as possible and she didn't want to wait until Monday for the consequences. She made a rapid count, leaving now and considering the traffic she would have been able to drop the envelope at his apartment without being seen, given of course that he hadn't moved yet the encounter to the second base. She quickly wrote a lame note on a piece of paper fighting the desire to sign herself as _Secret Santa,_ just to avoid bearing his gaze when he discovered that she had taken that initiative without consulting him, but for that there was the _option Iceland_ still open; she felt a knot to her stomach while leaving her chair, not having a clue on how Derek would have welcomed that _gift _and utterly worried about the consequences on their friendship and their relationship at work..

* * *

Amanda was asleep in bed. She was out of doubt a beautiful, sexy and sultry woman, and she had made it clear voicing her wishes and later her satisfaction several times that night. To her credit her promise to turn the cold winter of DC into a steamy ride had been kept and Morgan couldn't say he hadn't appreciated that, but now he was roaming around his own house with an uncomfortable feeling of uneasiness, wishing for her to wake up and leave soon. He wasn't the kind of man hooking up with women and then kicking them out of his bed once the urge was satisfied, but the reason of their rendez-vous wasn't exactly an intellectual affinity or a deep affection. Indeed as much as he found Amanda great in bed he couldn't say he enjoyed her attitude toward people; she had a sharp, rude edge toward everyone who wasn't directly useful or object of interest for her, and if he was fine in being considered a mere object of physical interest -being that attitude completely reciprocal between the two of them- and thus gaining few hours of solace without complication, he really didn't appreciate the way she approached his colleagues that afternoon, her stance toward JJ and the sarcastic jokes she made on Prentiss when they met her coming out of his building earlier.

His nagging got momentarily distracted by the memory of that awkward encounter; Emily had been weird, like a thief who is caught red-handed, she had mumbled something about having left some documents that he had to sign in his letter box and disappeared, he hadn't paid much attention then, but now the whole situation seemed quite bizarre. He had gone through all the paper work on his desk and Reid offered to complete the rest, but in that pile there was nothing to sign for him and he couldn't think of anything so urgent to be delivered directly to his house on a Friday night. A first suspect arose when he noticed the red ribbon tied around the envelope, how could he dismiss it? Well… he was kind of focused on Amanda at that point, he recalled her black hair and the smell of her shampoo. Before he could even filter the thought, he found himself indulging in the fantasy of being with Emily instead of Amanda, revealing her skin, kissing her lips, waking up beside her… he shook that _totally inappropriate_ image out of his head with reproach, what the hell was he thinking? His greater disdain was not for that idea itself but for how much he enjoyed it and for the many times he lost himself in the thought of he and Emily being closer than friends after that night, weeks before.

He untied the red ribbon and opened the envelope with growing curiosity; inside there was a thick documentation and a letter handwritten

_Dear Derek,_

_Probably you will be upset by now and I get it, but considering the circumstances there was no other way to help you and get things right._

_I would call it a present since I missed it for your birthday, but a present is supposed to be something you enjoy and get pleasure from,  
this instead -if you accept it of course- is going to be a heavy responsibility and an incredible amount of work, even though I doubt this could ever stop you._

_Please feel free to accept as well as to refuse this unconventional gift.  
I will be happy to take care of it if you don't, so don't worry. The decision is yours._

_Emily._

A vein of worry and confusion crossed his forehead. He read the letter again and not being able to make more sense out of it than the first time, he passed to the paper work.  
He was familiar with this kind of documents; he had signed them several times when acquiring a property. This time though the property in question had been purchased by Emily Prentiss, maybe she bought a property and wanted him to help her with the renovation...  
When he got to the second file he gasped, Emily was giving him the property. He went back to the first paper and his eyes widened as he read the name and address.  
All of a sudden the obvious connection was clear, Prentiss had given him as a birthday present the youth centre for which she likely paid more than half million of dollars.

He needed to sit down "Prentiss you are completely gone crazy" he murmured to himself, unable to understand what was prevailing among gratitude, commotion, rising anger and astonishment.

He put on some clothes, grabbed his jacket and left.

* * *

_Just a note: I am not from the US and I don't have a clue on how much a property could cost or how the auctions mechanism works. I am usually more accurate and gather information before writing about stuff I don't know, but I wanted to get the chapter done soon and didn't have the time for the research.  
Anyway the point here is not that, is it?_

_I hope, inaccuracy aside, you liked it_. _please let me know what do you think :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much for reading and reviewing the previous chapters.. you really and unexpectedly made my day! Keep it on :)_

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Emily was pacing nervously around her apartment wondering whether Morgan had already opened her _present_ and how he reacted, if he got a stroke, if he went furious or… no, he wasn't going to be happy, that was out of question.

The imagine of Morgan coming home with Amanda dressed like an exotic dancer just escaped from a latin lap dance club, that night when she was sneaking out of his building, caught her by surprise like a punch in her stomach. She had clumsily mumbled something and ran away in haste while the acute malicious laugh of cat-woman in the background reached her as a dagger planted in her back. _Again with this story_, she mentally scolded herself, _how can I feel betrayed by someone I don't have any claims on?_ She shook her head upset for that random attack of jealousy, since when she was jealous and possessive toward Morgan?

A knock at the door had that inner conversation concluded, she looked in the peephole and her heart jumped; she took a step back, her hands clenching at the rim of her jersey, _deep breaths Emily, deep breaths_ she talked herself out of her moment of panic seriously considering not to answer at the door. She had imagined a fast response but for sure she hadn't thought Derek would have blown his date and showed up at her door on that same night. Finally her adult self took over and helped her regain a smidgen of calm and composure, she opened the door with a beaten expression "Please tell me I haven't screwed up your date" she willingly missed the point.

"Unconventional present?" Derek somberly asked ignoring her question, waving the letter in his hands and trying to keep his temper, which had escalated during the ride to her place.

"Yeah, I thought of a new pair of headphones, but Garcia had it covered already…" she tried to light up his mood with some humor, again with no response from him.

He looked at her sternly, not a move if not for a slight contraction of his jaw, a strain attempt to keep his temper. Not good. Emily then turned serious and nodded lightly gesturing him to come in, this wouldn't have been easy.

"Emily what am I supposed to say?"

"Yo! Thank you! Jackpot!" she suggested sarcastically, torturing the rim of the jersey.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Derek was starting to question if this was the weirdest dream he ever had or if Prentiss had gone completely nut.

Emily felt so stupid, the humor was totally out of place and ineffective, Derek had all the rights to demand an explanation and to be bewildered by the situation. But explaining right now would have implied admitting that she did this because she cared about him more that she wanted to admit to herself, that she was feeling stupid and jealous -yes jealous, finally she acknowledged it- and betrayed because a part of her had never really given up that feeling, that moment they had weeks before, and had held on to it hoping there was a chance even for Emily Prentiss, a chance that maybe after all she was not so broken and twisted and that there was someone who could see her soul and not be scared of it. But even if she had voiced her feelings what good would it possibly do aside from making the situation even more awkward? _Hei, yes I bought you a building and by the way I think I am falling for you and that you should stop dating that slut_…  
yes great idea Prentiss, go with it and then go and throw yourself into a volcano in Iceland.

Morgan wasn't used to see Emily wavering and even though he was upset he didn't miss her uneasiness, he decided to give her a break "Emily, I understand and appreciate your good intentions, I really do. But I cannot accept this".

She shot him a jaundiced look "Because it's too much or simply because it's a help, and god forbid the invincible Derek Morgan accepted some external help"

"Emily.."

"It's you against the world or nothing, right?"

"Emily what are you talking about?" he tried to sooth her escalating rage, more and more bewildered at her behavior.

"I was clear, you are free to accept the youth center or not. But you don't have any right to come to my house and play the bad cop. I don't owe you any justification about my decisions" the last resort, acting on the defensive. What an original plan she thought.

"Emily, I am sorry if I jumped on you, but in this case your decision is entitling me to manage a property that you paid more than our yearly income. I think _I do_ have the right to ask for an explanation" he tried to reason.

"Ok, look. I didn't mean to sneak behind your shoulders. I thought we could use the money we raised and I could top them up with a donation, but when I came to talk to you about that, you were already gone with that sl… _friend of yours_ and when I passed by your apartment it didn't seem the right moment for such a conversation"

Right then his phone started ringing, Amanda.

"Speaking of the devil…" Derek couldn't help commenting, while refusing the call.

Emily arched her eyebrows and took the chance to change the subject "Listen, take the weekend to think about that. Really I didn't mean to upset you or to ruin your date. We'll talk on Monday" she set down calm, hoping for him now to go.

Caught between two fires and surrendering to the fact that he wouldn't be able to figure out what was going on with Emily that night, Derek agreed to leave but warned her that the discussion was not over. Again that mixed feeling of reluctantly parting from Emily and even more reluctantly seeing Amanda again. The latter wasn't a problem, such a self absorbed prima donna she was, she would probably head out of his life mortally resenting being left alone without any explanation. But as to Emily the situation was tricky, first because he had never seen her acting so weirdly and erratically, second because when she put up her shield there was no way of understanding what was really going on in her mind, third because his judgment was clouded and it couldn't help having the impression that the more he wished to get close to her, the more she was taking a step back and avoiding him.

Derek Morgan was a pragmatic man when it came to his job. Working as a cop before and then as a profiler was not just a job or a career path, it was a mission and he carried it on with complete dedication and without hesitation. For this reason he had almost no private life since he joined the bureau. He was happy to flirt sometimes and he didn't mind the reputation of playboy that surrounded him at work, at the end of the day he knew exactly where the line was and he was careful not to cross it. The boundary between work and pleasure was a brick wall to him and nothing could bring him to change that personal rule, as much as the team was a family to him and they all cared about each other, he had promised long ago not to date co-workers. The life they lead was difficult enough and required plenty of compartmentalization and focus; breaks up, excessive emotional investment that could cloud the judgment in risky situations or sexual tension were the last things they needed on the way while chasing unsubs.

Now for the first time in seven years he was seriously questioning this rule, he couldn't help thinking that he had never known a woman as deeply as Emily Prentiss, nor he had trusted anyone as much as he trusted her and vice versa no woman before had ever been able to understand him and making him feel so at ease in revealing himself. Was this just an artifact of his desire of a companion, or a disguised friendship? Was this a sign or a trap he should stay away from? The more he thought about it that the less he knew what to do, but one thing he was more and more sure of, if not resolved this situation would have turned into a problem.

* * *

"So", the liaison officer cautiously started "Penelope told me about the youth centre…" she scrutinized Emily's body language for reactions.

The two women had thought to invite Emily for brunch on Sunday morning and talk about what happened and how the situation evolved once Morgan had known.

Emily raised her gaze partly reluctant to talk and partly glad that someone asked her.

"Sorry Emily. I know I promised, but I figured out that by Monday it wouldn't have been a secret anymore" Penelope pleaded guilty with apologizing eyes.

"It's okay Penelope" she smiled faintly to her friends "but if you ask for a rational explanation I might fail your request"

"Emily we're not here to ask questions" JJ reassured her "we think you did a very noble thing and we want to give you our support…"

To this last offer, Emily furrowed in interrogation, Penelope then left a deep sigh out and explained, "last night Derek called me, he wanted to know if I knew. He was upset and confused and bewildered. He told me he came by your place and try to talk to you, but you've been evasive and strange, so we thought maybe you needed to talk about.."

"I'm sorry that he took it on you. I really didn't mean to upset anyone and I was about to talk to him about the whole idea, but by that time he was gone with _Amanda_, and then last thing I know he's storming at my apartment while his date is waiting for him at home and he's questioning me like a criminal"

The two women didn't miss the vein of resentment in Emily's reference to Amanda, and exchanged a knowing look as if a theory had just been validated.

"Dear," JJ approached "the first gift I got from Will was a weekend in San Francisco, he paid me the flight ticket, the hotel, everything…."

"Sounds a very nice present, but I am not sure I'm following you" Emily arched her eyebrow.

"We'd been seeing each other for four months by then, and we'd been talking about a trip to the west coast for a while. Nonetheless when he paid everything for me I was flattered and pissed at the same time because I wasn't used anymore in receiving presents and being spoilt, romantically.." JJ explained.

"Okay?" still Emily couldn't see the connection.

"We were together, Emily" JJ chose to break it down for her friend "..and a weekend in San Francisco doesn't cost half million…"

Emily froze, her eyes widening "oh, no. Hold on a second. You think I bought the youth centre out of romantic purpose? Because if so I think I know better and cheaper ways to seduce a man…"

"I'm not saying that, Emily. What I mean is it's a huge thing that you've done. Huge and beautiful, as much as we care about each other as a family, such an act of generosity can startle and raise some questions. It's a gesture of deep affection…" JJ desperately asked Penelope's help with a painful look, hoping the tech analyst could add a more delicate and diplomatic touch.

"We think that something's going on between you and Derek. But you two are too scared to admit or even see that" she cut blunt.

JJ shot at her a look "and you call it soft approach?" she hissed to the blonde tech.

"Have you ever thought of what could have happened if you were not co-workers?" Penelope went on inquiring this time with a more malicious tone.

"But we are co-workers" Emily answered trying to keep her mask in place and not reveal how close to the point her friends were "and there are rules, and there are consequences…"

"Which means you thought about that…" this time JJ took on the guesswork.

"Oh, someday I hate profilers" Emily blurted out.

"That's my line" Penelope commented with a victory smile, their jointed offensive was producing results "it was the night of his birthday, right? I knew that!" she leaned toward the brunette with thirsty eyes "please tell me you've got juicy details"

Both JJ and Emily gave her a scolding look.

"Pen, nothing happened" Emily cut it short "and nothing will"

"But Emily, why are you two so stubborn in denying yourself to be happy?" she commented with a disappointed pout.

"Ok, seriously. Both of you, stop it." Emily was now feeling like an unsub in the interrogation room "First thing, there's nothing going on between me and Morgan, if not a good friendship. Second he has already company. Third we work together, and there are rules, rules that are intended to protect and preserve the functioning of the team."

"May I remind you that we are talking of a man who left his _company_ in bed to come and talk to you. And as to the rules you are staring at two examples of how sometimes rules can and need to be bent. Besides we are a family, we gain strength and not weakness from our bond"

Emily wasn't sure of how she managed to free herself from her friends' grip, but she finally dragged herself home, alone and in silence without questions or scrutinizing eyes, she was as exhausted as after an interrogation session in a Russian prison.

* * *

"So how did it go with the centre?" Rossi inquired Morgan on Monday morning as soon as he saw him walking into the office. The older profiler didn't flinch throughout whole Morgan's recount, starting from the secret deal Prentiss sealed behind his back, till her dodgy behavior once asked for explanations.

Rossi took a pause and then answered, "Let me tell you a story. There was this man traveling in a foreign country alone, he didn't know the language and he didn't know anyone there. One day he got robbed, he didn't have any money, his documents were gone and it was getting dark. A man passing by saw his distress and offered him help, he took him home to his family, fed him and gave him a place to sleep, and the day after accompanied him to the police station. After a while once the traveler sorted his things out he bought a bottle of whiskey and went to see the man who helped him with the intention of giving him the bottle as a thank you for his help. But the man firmly refused the present, explaining that a favor his not a burden to get rid of as soon as possible, it's a gift that lasts in time. One day he would be lost and without money and would know that there was a person ready to help him. That day the traveler would return the favor"

Morgan looked at his colleague in silence, then Rossi explained "I understand it's not easy to accept help, especially when you are not used to, but don't get upset in the rush to give back. One day Emily will need help and you'll be there to return the favor"

Morgan hadn't thought about the situation in those terms until then and turned his eyes to Rossi for a moment, doubtful.

"Of course if this is the real problem…" Rossi carried on with nonchalance.

"What do you mean?" Morgan frowned.

"Sometimes you find yourself at a crossroad, you can stop and try to think of the potential outcomes of your decision as long as you want, but at the end of the day there are only two possible choices. Either you take the safe road and go back home where things are exactly the way they've always been, or you venture out into the unknown and see where it leads, taking a risk. Which one to choose is entirely up to you, but at some point you have to choose"

Morgan shifted his eyes nervously "We're speaking about the centre, right?"

Rossi lightly squeezed his eyes and gave him a sly look "What else?" he commented before heading back to his office with a playful grin.

Just after Rossi left, Derek saw Emily walking through the bullpen, her thoughtful expression probably drifting in some distant place he would never guess. She crossed his gaze and hesitated in an expression half resented half mortified.

He took a deep breath and greeted her "Hei, we need to do some serious talking…"

* * *

_And that's it for now... it might take me a bit longer to upload the next chapter because it's a crazy period, but it'll come :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you again for reading and reviewing the previous chapters of this short story! I guess another chapter and I'll be done :)_

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Emily stopped in front of Derek's door with a bit of anxiety for this.. dinner? Date? Sorting things out night? He had simply told her they needed to do some serious talking and that they would have had dinner together, definitely better than some hurried whispering in the office, but the expectation, the curiosity and Garcia's conjectures, managed to rise a certain level of concern about the agenda of the night.

Emily Prentiss had a degree in psychology, her job was to read people, understand and profile them, and she was really good at that, she usually managed to successfully extend her ability to the private side of her life as well and this had sometimes worked against her costing her relationships, but when it came to decipher Morgan's intentions toward her she became a shy, outcast fifteen year old girl oblivious to how to fit in, easy to fool and deadly scared.

Derek opened the door with a smile, not one of his lady killer smiles, he was relaxed but she could tell something was up in his mind. He walked Emily toward the kitchen where a warm and cozy atmosphere was filled by the aroma of spices coming out of two stewing pans.

"You cook..." she observed half surprised, half doubtful.

"I cook" he replied with an amused expression, while handing her a glass of red wine.

"So" he decided to break the ice and dove right into the core of the matter "I guess I owe you an apology. My reaction was excessive and a bit aggressive and I'm afraid that in all my surprise and alarm I forgot to stress how much I appreciate what you have done for me and for the people who rely on the youth centre."

Emily widened her eyes in surprise and frustration. There was this smoothness constantly permeating from Morgan's words -no matter if he was speaking about the ultimate meaning of life or the football game he watched the night before- that made particularly difficult if not impossible to drag one's attention from him. If there was a situation in which he found himself uncomfortable, then he would surely knew how to deceive it.

"I should be the one apologizing, Derek" she answered "I threw you a curve ball without warning you, I… everything went so fast and once I resolved on what to do you were gone with Amanda and there was no time… I knew I could do something to help, and I figured that in this case the result was the most important thing" and why the hell was she stuttering now?

"I know, Emily. That's why I decided to accept your generous gift. To one condition"

Ouch.

"I took the liberty to talk to your lawyer and asked him to make a few changes to the terms of the agreement." He explained.

"What changes?"

"The centre will be mine and yours, I want you to be able to understand what a precious gift you actually made to this people."

Emily tried to voice the many contrasting thoughts crowding her mind all at once like in a train station during the rush hour, but her mouth opened and closed a few times, without any sound.

"It's not a negotiable option" he pointed.

"So, is this the reason why you invited me?" She asked and immediately regretted giving voice to her thoughts and hoped Morgan didn't notice the disappointment in her tone. She felt so stupid and mad at herself for having completely misunderstood the situation and misread the signals. It was genuinely flustering and embarrassing to be a kick-ass FBI agent and still proving totally unable to distinguish the difference between a caring friendship and a romantic interest. She made a mental memo never to rely on Penelope's advice on men anymore.

"..To make you sign the papers and tell you about the lives that you saved, and offer you a dinner to apologize for my behavior"

"I should be offering you a dinner for blowing your date and ambushing you" one thing at least she could count on was her resilience, she would get smacked and she would never see it coming, but then she would get up instantly without showing how much it hurt.

"Amanda is not a date, neither a friend and honestly I don't think I'll miss her" he distantly said checking the food "What about your dates?" he carried on.

Emily almost chocked on her sip of wine "What about them?" Was this an apology dinner or a systematic attempt to make her feel even more miserable about her personal life? If that was the case she really didn't need a reminder, she was fully aware of it already…

"Met anyone interesting? Or are you still searching the perfect _cereal bowl_" he teased her remembering the conversation they had at his birthday party.

"I told you, I don't like when someone else is shopping for me, to be entirely honest I don't like shopping at all, that's more your thing. I believe that when I feel that _electricity_ then I'll be wise enough not to let it go..." Now, was she quoting Rossi? Really? The only thing that man knew how to do better than profiling was destroying his marriages…

Morgan arched an eyebrow "Ok, as you prefer. Electricity, cereal bowls, pink elephants, you pick the metaphor agent Prentiss. But still you haven't answered my question"

Emily considered seriously whether he was teasing her or if he was really interested about her love life, in both cases it was not funny, "Actually there was a guy." She answered serious, almost blunt "I thought he was a decent man, for a change, but he turned out to be the worst. Superficial, mean, a despicable player" she decided to test whether there was any malice in his words.

"I am sorry to hear that. He really doesn't know what he has lost, but definitely you deserve better" he answered, seemingly truly sorry for her.

"What about you?" she turned the question, hoping to get to understand what game he was playing.

"Me? I would be glad to find the twin soul, but frankly with all the horror that we see daily I'm not sure anymore if it exists and if there is someone who can put up with this level of insanity without breaking. Look around and tell me how many successful relationships you can see in our working environment. So, to answer your question, shopping is my thing. No strings, no big deal, a mutually agreed _collaboration_. If you don't have expectations you can't be disappointed" he said, realizing his tone was bitter than he imagined. For the first occasion in a long time the smooth Derek Morgan, usually flawless and charming with ladies, was feeling nervous and awkward while talking to a woman he'd known for years.

"Wow. Sounds romantic…" she commented with a skeptical grin.

"Overly.." he corresponded the sarcasm.

"And gratifying.." she carried on with a grin, starting to catch the almost comical side of the story.

He chuckled "Ok, now you're being cruel"

"No sincerely. I am curious; I am trying to weigh the pros and cons. I guess Amanda doesn't entertain you with her stories about alien abductions and you don't have to put up with her OCD…"

Morgan frowned amused, this was a story he wanted to hear, "yes but I promise you that being able to have a real conversation with both parties involved, as weird as it can get, is something you start missing after a while."

"Seriously Derek you really don't have an idea of how weird it can get" she carried on.

"Maybe not, but I know how draining it is to put up with an hour long monologue on how difficult it is to choose the right moisturizer for your body, and spending every minute of it regretting the casual comment you dropped on how soft her skin is" he explained refilling both their glasses.

"Morgan, is this a competition on who among us had the worst date? Because if so we seriously need more wine" she warned him raising her glass.

"Emily Prentiss, you don't know who you're dealing with. I would wait before throwing such a challenge" he got closer with a playful expression and his charming smile.

"I am so going to kick your ass…" she playfully held his gaze, maliciously biting her lip.

They didn't know what they were doing, if this was a dinner between friends or if they were dangerously heading down the road of flirting between co-workers, but they were for sure aware that they hadn't enjoyed someone else's company so much in a long time and they weren't going to stop the fun.

After two and a half bottles of wine, a lovely dinner and an embarrassingly long list of dates gone awry, they both realized that it was only Tuesday, and the second bottle hadn't been such a good idea. When they started working on the third bottle, they had moved the conversation to the sofa and any residual of their professional demeanor had been thrown to the wind to be replaced by genuine uncontrollable laughs and a relaxed friendly atmosphere.

Emily gave a look at the clock "Ok, I think I might need to call a cab" she giggled, then she turned her gaze to Derek who was staring at the void, his mind lost behind some uncanny thread of thoughts. She swallowed and finally let her question out "Derek, why did you invite me here? I mean, you could have made me sign the documents anytime at work…"

He turned his gaze to her and got up from the sofa taking a thick envelope from his bag, then returned to sit beside her "After digesting the fact that you bought the centre and gave it to me, I contacted my friends who work there and let them know how they've been saved. I suggested them to write a few lines to thank you and to make you understand how precious your help had been" his voice now deep and husky, his tone rid of the alcohol and the euphoria of the previous hours "This morning I checked my email and I found it full of letters that each one of the volunteers and the kids attending the centre sent for you. In some way all of them wanted to let you know what their life was before and after finding the youth centre and how, by saving it from destruction, you saved their lives and their future. You gave them a shot Emily, a chance that everybody else was denying them"

"Derek, the centre is just a building. You and the people working for it make the real difference, without you the it's just four walls and a roof. Those kids don't have to thank me" she reassured, her voice though trembling with gratitude for all those letters that perfect strangers took the time to write.

Derek shook his head "Emily, those kids don't even know your face, but still were able to see the gracious and beautiful person you are. You have crossed path with them for one minute and you meant for them salvation. That's how much you mean for a perfect stranger, imagine how much you can mean for someone who has you in his life everyday…" he went on holding her gaze after he finished talking and the silence filled the room.

In that moment Emily felt it, that electricity, that one feeling she promised she would have been wise enough not to let slip away. She looked at him for a long second and disclosed her lips  
"I'd better go now" she whispered before rushing out of the apartment.

* * *

_...And that's it for now. Thank you for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you for all the support and reviews I had for this story, I seriously didn't expect that.  
So here is the final chapter, I really wanted to post it before Emily's last episode airs and I might succeed for a few hours...obviously depending on your time zone:)  
Anyway thanks for the amazing feedback and I hope you enjoy this last part!_

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Derek reclined his head against the back of the sofa and let a deep sigh out, to him that electricity felt more like a firework show; he rubbed his hands on the back of his head, this was going to be a long week.

When the alarm went off Emily grabbed the clock and tossed it against the wall, following with a colorful string of curses, for a moment she lay again on her back staring at the ceiling, occupation that filled her sleepless hours during the previous night; after running away from Derek apartment she hadn't been able to get any rest; he must have thought she was crazy and frankly she was keen on backing that theory up.

She rolled on one side burying her head under the pillow and let a long, loud moan of rage and frustration out; she didn't know how to classify the situation, if awkward, unfortunate, desperate, and yet all those definitions were wrong, because the dominant emotion which was overwhelming her was a jolt of powerful and uncontrollable euphoria and happiness, traveling down her spine and spreading to her brain, her heart, her core till the tip of her toes.  
She felt like a teenager in love, the previous night had been perfect, Derek could make her laugh to sickness one minute and right after look at her with such an intensity that she would offer herself to him on a bed of fire, if only she imagined his hands drifting down her body she would almost lose conscience.  
There was nothing about the dinner, the conversation, the atmosphere that she would have changed and she was certain that if she hadn't fled, she would have ended up in his arms, naked. 

_Maybe we could try to see where this leads,_ she pondered -head still buried in the pillow-_ have few nice dates, sex, a lot of sex - oh god - insanely good sex… maybe the story will last enough to tell the team, come clean and try to make it work despite the job and the rules. _Soon the rational side took over again _Then things will drift in routine and habitude and the excitement will leave the pace to boredom and finally irritation. Eventually this dysfunctional relationship will damage the team and force one of us to leave. _

Now in the heat of the moment it seemed a good idea, but if she didn't stop this growing feeling, in the long run she would have regretted her indulgence. Things were better off this way, colleagues and friends and nothing more. Soon Derek would have found the next Amanda, and Emily would have bought a pet, and this moment would be far forgotten.

She finally got up and dragged herself to the bathroom, she let the hot water patter on her shoulders and cried all her self-imposed misery under the shower.

The moment she left her apartment, half hour later, she couldn't help letting out the second string of colorful 'morning blessings' "Damn'it" she concluded, realizing her car was still in front of Derek's house.

"Looks like you could use some coffee, and a lift…" a voice came from behind her shoulders; she had a déjà-vu of a similar situation and remember herself startling at the thought that her twin soul had finally found her in a crowded bar; again she turned around and she found the same smile welcoming her.

Derek grinned at her behind his sunglasses "Yesterday you almost vanished in front of my eyes and I didn't have the chance to tell you I would pick you up today. I didn't even have the time to wish you a good night…"

"Yeah I know… I" again the damn stuttering.

"I just hope I didn't do or say anything that made you feel uncomfortable" he added smoothly.

So was Derek Morgan so easy to reason with? So irritatingly sweet, understanding and caring? Or had he purposely decided to drive her crazy in her strain attempt to keep her mind away from him?

"No, I really enjoyed our dinner. It was a lovely evening" she replied after calming down.

"And do you always run away like that after a _lovely evening _or your carriage was about to turn into a pumpkin?" he playfully questioned arching an eyebrow.

Emily couldn't help chuckling and preparing for the difficult part, but again he preceded her.

"Listen" he faced her taking his glasses off "I had a lovely evening too, the first after a long time…"

Yes, he was definitely trying to drive her crazy and to crumble her willpower… But no worries, there was still the last option, going to Malawi to become a catholic nun and if not enough throwing herself into a volcano in Iceland.

"…and I wanted to thank you about that" he carried on, unaware of her lunatic considerations, "I did a bit of thinking last night, I went on repeating myself that we are grown up adults, friends and co-workers, and we don't want to mess things up, right?"

"Right" she replied with a hint of disappointment but definitely relieved to see they were on the same page, an affair between them was a WRONG idea!

"And still I can't help thinking that we should give it a try" he let his words settle down and kept his eyes on hers as he did the previous night. He watched Emily getting suddenly uncomfortable and dancing nervously on her feet, this time he was determined not to let her run away.

The brunette mumbled few confused words in a whisper that he couldn't quite understand, even though he could swear there was one word she repeated several time as a mantra '_Iceland…'_

"Come on Emily, am I really so bad?" he pushed.

Emily gave a get-out-of-here look in response and inhaled deeply before putting together a consistent and hopefully stuttering-free speech, when both their phones started ringing.

They were required at the BAU urgently.

Derek shot her a look "Ok, conversation delayed. Get in the car"

Once in her seat Emily looked at him with the corner of her eye "Listen, I get your point and don't misunderstand me you are amazing, the best guy I met in… forever"

"But?" he prompted keeping his eyes on the road.

"But there's too much on the line for both of us!"

"Namely?"

"Namely the non fraternization rules, namely the fact that we spend together so much time already that sometimes we can't wait to take a break from each other, and it's not just you and me, a relationship would compromise the whole balance of the team"

"Emily you are talking about it as if it was a deadly chemical weapon. You know that it's supposed to be a positive thing, don't you?"

She shot at him a sarcastic look "Ok, funny. Let's say we give it a try. We date for a while, we have fun, we do stuff together, then maybe we even think it could work. Then we start growing tired and bored of each other to the point of becoming two creatures full of grudge, who can't even stand being in the same room. How does it end? One of us has to leave and lose the job"

"Emily, do you realize that you regard the possibility of us dating as if it was the Armageddon? I am not saying it's gonna be cookies and candies, but I am pretty sure it's not even going to be King Kong versus Godzilla"

She shot at his a look full of doubt, she couldn't deny that maybe her view was a bit extreme…

"So" he carried on once in the elevator "let's say we do your way. We just pretend nothing ever happened and we rewind our feelings?" he scrutinized her trying to keep cool and deceiving the panic of losing her and having to convince himself daily that they were just buddies.

"Ok " she snapped in frustration" Explain to me why you want to date me?"

He looked at her puzzled as if he had to explain the obvious to a three year old "Aside from the fact that I like you very much and I think you're incredible, even though unbelievably stubborn, I'd like to date you for the pleasure of discovering what's your favorite color, or which song do you sing under the shower, what do you like for breakfast, what's your drink and…" the doors of the elevator opened, and a smiling but visibly agitated Penelope welcomed them.

"Good morning my beautiful birds!" she chirped with open arms.

Emily responded with a feeble smile and sneaked into the bullpen, while Derek took a deep sigh and to Garcia's interrogation look answered "Don't even ask, babygirl"

Few hours later the team was already at work, Hotch and Morgan at the first victim's house, Prentiss and Rossi talking with the wife of the second victim and Reid and JJ working on the geographic profile back at the police station.

While Rossi was taking a look around the house Emily questioned Delia, the wife of the victim. She was in her sixties, a sportive, energetic woman, her gray hair kept short and her eyes of a vivid blue, her name was Delia. She stared for a while at a picture portraying her with her husband placed on a shelf across the room, while Emily waited patiently for the words to come.

When Delia turned her eyes to the profiler her eyes were dry, in them the dignity of a fighter who has faced many battles in the past and doesn't break down just because he doesn't know how to do that. That image sounded pretty familiar to the younger woman. "We met at a book signing night, eight years ago. Both divorced since a long time," she started in a raucous low tone "no children, no bounds. But for some reason we waited five years before acknowledging our reciprocal feelings, and the last years have been godsend bliss. I frankly don't know why we lost so much precious time, probably out of fear of being hurt again, or cowardice. Do you have someone you care about agent?"

Emily startled at the direct question and was overly surprised in hearing herself answering without hesitation "yes I do".

"Then make sure he knows how do you feel about him, and don't waste time over meaningless fears, life is not waiting for you forever honey and I just learnt it the hard way."

Emily left the house feeling a deep sense of pain for that grieving woman but also of relief for herself as if some supernatural force just gave her the authorization to be happy.

Few hours later they were holding the unsub in cuff, caught just minutes before killing a third innocent. It hadn't been one of the hardest cases ever but it left a deep emotional print in Emily, she couldn't forget those piercing eyes looking through her and telling her to go and be happy.

She kept quiet through the whole flight, sitting beside Rossi and pretending to sleep; it was like when she was a child and her mother would come back home late form work and enter her room to discuss about her misbehavior at school and to avoid the tirade Emily would pretend to be fast asleep.

Truth is she was deadly scared, she couldn't know if it was more the fear to have him or to lose him, or worse to have him and then lose him. Was it worse to try and fail or to be miserable for never giving it a chance? She couldn't recall the last time she let the guard down and let someone get close, she didn't even know if she was still capable of it.

Those thoughts held her hostage for the entire flight and after that when she entered a cab and told the driver the address, she barely noticed the road until the cab stopped in front of his apartment.

Derek was staring at his phone trying to resolve whether to call Emily and resume their conversation or follow her advice and start pretending nothing ever happened between them, when a thud at the door took him aback.

Once he opened the door she didn't even let him speak, she jumped the 'hi, how are you' part and let it all out of her chest "I like purple. I don't sing under the shower that often, fortunately, but I do that when I cook. I am a coffee addict, it's the first thought in the morning, otherwise I'll go on swearing like a truck driver until I have my mug. I love red wine, strong and firm, no sparkling stuff and don't even come close with a rose`. I have a tattoo, but for you to see it we definitely need to get more intimate. And I love black chocolate." She stared at him in silence for a moment "That's it for now" she added with a defensive begging look.

"Okay" he nodded back, half bewildered, half amused.

Emily realized she'd been holding her breath and finally let the oxygen flow into her lungs, then she turned to her feet ready to leave as the previous night but after few steps she turned around and got back to him. Derek would have liked to have his own saying at this point but he didn't have the time to pronounce a word that her lips were sealing his in a long kiss. He let his arms wrap her in a tight embrace and didn't release her when their lips parted. He slowly moved her inside and closed the door and stared at her in silence for some long seconds, he had been longing this moment so many times that he struggled to accept it was really happening.

"What are you thinking?" she asked in a whisper softly caressing his cheek.

Derek pondered a while with a thoughtful expression and then grinned impishly "So you have a tattoo, uh?"

"Shut up" she elbowed him laughing while he pulled her snug and kissed her again.

"Now, call off the blue fairy, this time you're not gonna make it to your pumpkin, Princess" he smiled while walking her toward the bedroom.

She laughed back, she definitely wasn't going to run away; the known words surfacing to her head as if an old prophecy just became true: _you smile, you smile oh and then the spell is cast and here we're in heaven for you are mine at last._

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And that's the end. I could have done better but I am so tired and it's not gonna be better over the next days, so I thought at least I would deliver some happy ending to you all! :)  
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